Straus names House committee chairs

AUSTIN — House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, has shuffled the chairmen of several key committees but kept intact the same gang of lieutenants to run the lower chamber’s panels.

Straus announced House committee assignments Wednesday, including new chairmen for panels that deal with budget writing and tax issues. Several former chairmen, including the former heads of the budget and tax panels, have left the Legislature since last session.

As expected, state Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton, was named as chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, will head the House Ways and Means Committee, the chamber’s tax-writing panel.

Straus said in a statement: “These appointments will allow some of our committee chairs to bring their perspectives and leadership to a fresh set of issues, and that new thinking will benefit the entire House. Many other Members are also moving into new positions of responsibility, and I am very confident in the work they’re going to do.”

In another change, state Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond, will chair the Higher Education Committee, replacing Dan Branch who lost a bid for attorney general last year. Zerwas used to chair a House ethics committee.

State Rep. Jim Keffer, R- Eastland, was tapped to head the House Natural Resources Committee, which was chaired last session by Allen Ritter, who retired. Keffer used to chair the Energy Resources Committee.

State Reps. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, and Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, essentially traded committee chair posts. Pickett chaired the Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee last session, while Phillips oversaw the Transportation Committee. Now Picket will chair Transportation and Phillips will head Homeland Security and Public Safety.

And state Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, will chair a new committee Straus created to focus on juvenile justice and family issues.